OK, now that you got that 2009 reference out of your system: are these guys for real? Because their tagline is—no joke—”We ain’t minin’, we pickin’“

The people behind the meme talked to Vice music blog Noisey today, saying:

“Coinye West is a cryptocurrency for the masses. Bitcoin is for hardcore money-hoarders, and Dogecoin was more for the internet-meme crowds.

Our goal…is to make it easier for people to use cryptocurrency…people will be able to make their own coins.

We will be giving away Coinye West to users upon launch. It will get people who are on the fence interested and help them to start using the currency.”

We’re going to maintain our distance from the concept of virtual currency, but this is an amusing stunt. And yes, it’s already earned the venture some media mentions in prominent places. But what are these guys going to do when every blog has already repeated the joke, especially if their target remains silent?

“We’re really not sure how Kanye is gonna react to this.

We don’t want to pay him off to name check us.”

Well of course you don’t, but he does have a notoriously thin skin. Anyone taking bets on how long they’ll keep the name?